A few weeks ago, I publicly demonstrated my poor decision-making by signing up for my 10K run. At the time I had not run since September, had an unresolved chronic pain issue in my shoulder-blade, and was prone to injuring my legs in a very short amount of time. Even after that Monday run, my legs were very tight and my shoulder-blade had flared up with debilitating pain after less than half a mile.
I resolved to do a few things if I was going to make this work out. First, I was going to get a new pair of running shoes. Runners, don’t yell at me, but the pair I was running in were over two-years old. I have been told repeatedly, that was not a good idea. I went to Run For Your Life and had them fit me for a new pair of shoes. I went back a few times because some people told me I pronated and others told me I was a neutral runner. Finally we leaned why. I would land with a perfect neutral stride, but half way through, right as I was pushing off, my ankle would buckle a little to the interior and pronate my foot. Basically, running in a neutral shoe was throwing off my alignment, giving cause for a lot of my leg pain. After one shoe did not work out because it did not have the necessary arch support, I exchanged them for a pair of Asics 2150s.
After finding a good pair of shoes, I needed to find a specialist that could help me with the injuries I was incurring. I have been working with two. The first is Dr. Duffy with Greenapple Sports and Wellness. He has been using cold laser therapy and the Graston Technique. I am not going to fully pretend like I understand what he is doing and will say it hurts like Hades is visiting my back and legs. But it is working. The second specialist I’m seeing is a neuromuscular massage therapist named Roxanne Schultz. She not only eases the pain but explains everything she is doing and why. She is a wonderful encouragement as well.
I have found out that many of my injuries are not new strains but rather aggravating very old injuries that have never healed or been treated properly. At the end, you will see the help the two of them have been.
After getting new shoes and working with Dr. Duffy and Roxanne Schultz, the next piece of the puzzle was to actually start training. I chose a training schedule from running legend Hal Higdon. My training schedule consists of some sort of activity six days a week. The only modification I made was to bump everything back one day since the race falls on a Saturday and I could keep my long run days consistent with this. I started a little behind because it is for people who can regularly run about 2 miles.
I have now completed a full week of training and have started week two. So how am I doing? Whereas prior I could not run half a mile without shooting pain, I was able to complete 3 miles on Saturday with hardly a flare up in my back. Though, there was a little twinge of pain here and there it was short-lived and it was actually my legs that led me to walk. And my time? I did it in just under 31-minutes. That is right. A month ago it took me 30-minutes to do 2 miles. Saturday I was able to complete 3 miles in the same time!
I am still experiencing pain here and there, especially in my lower legs. But with all the changes I have made and seeing Dr. Duffy and Roxanne once a week each, I am feeling more confident that I may live through this. Training is tough and making time for it even harder. I am working hard to stick with it. Stay tuned…
For those of you who have been following this blog, you know last summer I spent a week in the Bahamas rebuilding homes with Bahamas Methodist Habitat. I believe strongly in this organization and the director Abraham McIntyre has become a friend of mine.
Right now they really need your help as they are working around the clock to respond to the crisis in Haiti. Just to give you a few statistics regarding how Bahamas Methodist Habitat (BMH) is aiding in the Haitian relief efforts:
First BMH plane was in the air only 10 hours after the earthquake
17,000lbs of medical supplies have been delivered
32 people have been evacuated
9 private pilots are assisting (from NC, TN, AL and even Iowa!)
It is AMAZING how God is leveraging the BMH team in such a big way and so quickly! Their biggest need is financial support to continue the flights in and out of Haiti. Right now, 100% of donations are going toward fuel for the planes. It costs $1500 to fuel these planes to continue dropping off supplies and assisting with the evacuations. Time is of the essence. Please visit their site to get up to date stats on their efforts and donate to them directly. It only takes a few seconds but having to turn these planes around as fast as possible, each cent and second counts.
“Against my better judgment I’ve signed up for the Cooper River Bridge Run. Funeral services will be held March 27, 2010 around mile marker 3.“
That is right…run, walk, or crawl I am participating in the 2010 Cooper River Bridge Run. I have heard this is one of the funnest 10Ks in the country to do because of how many people do it and the atmosphere of it all. Unfortunately it did not also get labeled “the easiest 10K in the country.” I have been warned of a huge hill and some other challenges along the way.
I am comforted by the fact I will have a few other people I know of who are also not runners. This will surely test me as it is twice the distance of the longest run I have ever done.
I went for a brief run last night on the treadmill to get the blood flowing back through my legs. I went for 2-miles alternating between a 6 mile jogging pace and a 3.2 mile walking pace. It took me 30 minutes so I will let you figure the breakdown of time spent running vs. walking. I have a long way to go though before the end of March.
The calender year has coming to a close and I am inching closer to 30. I have decided to provide a brief update to parts of my list as well as some things that are coming up. So here is my progress report:
Visit the Grand Canyon or Yellowstone National Park – I have talked a lot about doing this trip but have made no preparations. I might bundle with a trip out to Vegas so I can get a friend or two on board.
Attempt to donate blood – I am planning to do this and wanted to host a blood drive. That was stalled when the Red Cross refused to park the bus outside my house and I have not found another location to do it. Still hate the needles.
Hike the Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina portions of the Appalachian Trail – I have not started and do not see this happening soon. Time is a huge issue.
Sky dive – Ready to go any time. Money is huge concern right now as other things have become more important. Anyone want to pay for me to go or sponsor me, I will go.
Pay off accrued debt with parents – I tried to pay this back but my dad told me to save it right now for my new car. Turns out that might have been smart, my transmission is almost kaput.
Pay off one of my three student loans – I hate Sallie Mae but am still steadily paying it down instead of absolving it.
Learn to Snowboard – I completed it this year and there is video and pictures to prove it. I am actually going back this year to get a little better.
Kill a deer – Thinking this is going to happen with may car. This year alone, I have come within inches of hitting 8 deer. I almost went car bowling for deer when 4 of them decided to block my lane at once. The ABS breaks were thoroughly tested. Have inquired several times about going hunting with friends that do. Timing is everything right now.
Learn to fly fish – Watching “A River Runs Through It” does not count. Catching a fish is not necessary but a concerted effort is. So far I have done neither.
Make a wood desk or furniture item from scratch – Every time I sit down at my elementary school sized desk in my office, I think of this one. Again, money is a semi issue. I might just deconstruct the desk and build a new top to make it taller and wider. Kind of nostalgic about the desk in general.
Read the Bible all the way through again – Knocking this out slowly. I have read Genesis, Exodus and some of the minor prophets.
Play a full 18-holes of golf – I have enough friends that play golf. I do not have left handed clubs or friends with enough patience to walk the course with me.
Give a ride to a hitchhiker – Not as many hitchhikers out there as you would think. Every time I see one, I’m not driving.
Return to UT for a football game – Fail. Scheduled trip this year canceled. Rock slide dissuaded a make up date.
Grow facial hair for a month just to see what it looks like – It looked terrible. There are pictures to show you the patchy disaster.
Get licensed in Counseling – So close. I believe it is a matter of paperwork now. Hope to mail it off by the end of January and then wait on the Board to approve me.
Get BachelorBytes website started – This project will change and be reflected in a few weeks to “Get CharlotteCounselor.org finished.” One internet project at a time.
Get weight below 200 pounds – Holding steady. Not getting heavier, not getting lighter.
Attempt to get at least one invention to prototype stage – No progress. Need a great idea first. Just discovered Everyday Edisons which might help advance this.
Visit either Wrigley Field or Fenway Park for a game – I will have to wait until at least next season but with a few friends up in Boston, I am cheap flight away from doing this.
Ride on a motorcycle – This was a blast. I have video and pictures up.
Stop chewing nails and cuticles – I have gotten much better on the nails.
Attempt a back flip off the ground – Done in my mind. Now to actually attempt. What does 3:00 PM look like for you? What paramedics are on duty? Nah, I need to become slightly more agile first. Back to stretching.
Learn to sew on a button and fix a seam – I re-taught myself to sew a button still no go on the seam.
Run a 10K – I was actually training for a half marathon but was injured 2 months into training. I had only made it three miles. Back is still acting up but it was my shins that did me in. Registered for the Cooper River Bridge Run to force me to train. More on that in the next few days.
Get a dog – Darn roommate and his allergies.
Watch The American Film Institute’s entire top 100 List – I have watched about 65 of the 100 movies but have been slack on my reviews. was going to try and review in order but finding a copy of Yankee Doodle Dandy is holding me up.
Sponsor a child through Compassion International – It is pathetic that I have not already done this. I am afraid of getting hit by finances that would force me to abandon a child.
Work on a Habitat house – Spent a week in Eleuthera working on a house. Lots of video, pictures and stories on this site.
Learn to play five full songs on the piano – I am cutting this down to three I think. Every time I start learning, I get sidetracked for a few days and then come back to have forgotten everything.
A while back…way, way back… I wrote a post about reading a commentary of Genesis as I embarked on number 11 from my list. The book I chose was recommended to me by my friend, James-Michael Smith who has more Biblical knowledge in his left ventricle than I could ever hope to obtain. “The NIV Application Commentary” had a whopping 727 pages that took me from creation to Joseph in Egypt. I spent just over four months trying to complete the book as I attempted to soak it all in.
Part of the reason for the delay was I tried to multi-task and study for my licensure at the same time. However, the book alone required all of my cognitive capabilities to grasp everything. While, it was fairly easy to read, it was difficult to retain the plethora of information it provided.
Well, I finally completed it and learned a ton. There was much more at work in Genesis than I had ever imagined and it is only once you take in the historical and cultural relevance that you really appreciate it. There were verses I found puzzling in word or in placement but by using archeological or literary analysis, the text makes much more sense. As I said in the previous post, I am not going to give the blow by blow for what I read but here are some pretty cool highlights:
“Satan” is one of the few English words that has a Hebrew origin. In the Old Testament, it is used as both a verb and a noun. The verb means, “to oppose as an adversary.” The noun can be applied to a human being and thus designates him an adversary.
God asked Abram to give up a lot (land, family, etc.) but replaced each and every thing through His covenant (Israel, descendants, etc.)
In Gen. 14:13 Abram is called “Abram the Hebrew.” It is believed this is not an ethnic reference but rather a designation of social class for people known in many ancient texts as Habiru, or dispossessed people. This is very fitting with the history of the Hebrews through Egypt, Babylon, even up to the Holocaust.
Rachel died giving birth to Benjamin, which is ironic because in Gen. 30:1 she demanded of Jacob, “Give me children, or I’ll die!”
The word used to describe the seventh day actually means “to cease” as opposed to “rest.” It is more attributed to achieving equilibrium and stability.
I have now moved on the Exodus. I am not going to use a commentary, and will instead opt for the study notes in my Bible. I almost feel like I could skip it because we went through it in our Bible study and now my church is going through it. However, I want to spend those quiet times with God and let his Word speak to me. Now Leviticus and Numbers? That I could consider skipping.
As I do every year, I had targeted one particular Tennessee game to attend this year. At the outset of the season I decided to go to the UGA vs. UT game because it would be a good SEC match up and I knew a lot of UGA fans that might be interested in going too. I was really excited about our team this year and the energy surrounding the new coach. Plus I really wanted to see Eric Berry play live.
However, as with every year, I intended to go back but something came up. In mid September, my parents informed me my 92-year old grandmother would be coming from Canada to visit them in New Bern. She would only be in town for two weekends. The first weekend I was moving and could not change anything around to make it over to New Bern. The second available weekend was the same date as the UGA vs. UT game. I love my grandma very much and only get to see her twice a year so there was no hesitation in my decision, I just needed to figure out logistics.
I was trying to determine if I could leave Friday night for Knoxville, watch the game, drive back Saturday evening or Sunday morning and head to New Bern from there. My brother had just moved to Charlotte so we decided to carpool over to New Bern making the game more of a time hassle than it was worth. He is a huge UGA fan (even though he did not go there) so it would make a for a fun family rivalry weekend. Unfortunately, New Bern is in ACC country so the game was not broadcast and we had to follow the game on our iPhones through play-by-play. Even though I did not get to go to the game, I am happy to report Tennessee whooped Georgia 45-19 and did not allow them an offensive touchdown.
Unfortunately, any plans to make it back for any of the other remaining games on our schedule appear to have been stalled because of a rock slide that has closed I-40 (my direct route) for at least three months. Maybe Berry will stick around for his senior season.
On our last day, Bertha Pinder agreed to sit down and have lunch with us. She had been around most of the time but had mostly kept to herself. She had seen groups come through before. She knew we would not be around much longer and would move on too. As our group listened to her, we realized how hilarious she was. First she would tell us a story and mention places as if we had lived on the island for years. Then she tried to get one of the guys to agree to marry one of the girls and invite her to the wedding. There is video at the bottom.
Bertha was very excited and pleased with the progress on the new house but was proud of her old house too. She had lived in the house for over 60 years and it had survived every hurricane that had passed through during that time. She was raised in the house with her five siblings and mother and then later raised her four children in the house. This is a house that is smaller than every one-bedroom apartment I’ve ever seen! She had never had running water or electricity (both of which were being fixed up in the new house). She was also getting glass windows for the first time as her current house consists of some cloth and removable boards.
As we prepared to leave, we took a few final pictures and spent a little more time with Bertha. The whole week we had tried to talk to her with little success. However, now that we had her talking, she did not want to stop. We left the site and 48-hours later would leave the Bahamas.
I knew from the outset I would get more out of this than I could possibly hope to put into it. But what I got out of it and what I put into were very much interrelated. I arrived enthusiastic and prepared to work hard. However, I worked harder than I have ever worked before, plugging away for several hours a day and not wanting to quit. While I sustained a few injuries in the form of cuts, blisters, bruises, bug bites and heat rash, my back felt better than it has in years. At home, I usually stay up until midnight. But in the Bahamas, I was so tired from working that I was often in bed asleep or ready for bed by 10:00 PM. Through all of this, I was extremely proud of the hard work our group put into it. You could see lives changed. Not just those whose circumstances had been improved by our labor but also the lives and hearts of those who were directly involved in taking a week out to do something for somebody else with no expectation of having that service repaid. It is a time I will never forget (especially since the 2000 pictures our group took won’t let me) but I have also begun making plans to return next year.
First let me say, there was a huge gap in time between the posting of part 2 and 3. I apologize to those of you who were hanging on to the edge of your seat for the conclusion. Unfortunately, when I returned stateside, work caught up to me and due to some changes at work, it did not let up. So back to the story in progress…
I can honestly say that I do not think that I have worked so hard in four days as I did in Eleuthera. When we arrived at Bertha’s house, we went right to work. Removing the spacers proved to be no easy task but was absolutely necessary before any sheet-rock walls could go up. My teammate, Colin, and I worked diligently removing the four nails from the studs to free up the spacers. We then would try and fit the spacers at the eight foot marker in the same stud. This often proved to be challenging as the studs were not always straight. So, the measurement between the studs at the six-foot mark, was as much as 2 full inches wider or narrower than at the eight foot mark. A lot of wood had to be re-cut or re-sized.
I was very concerned at the outset of the project as to how my shoulder would react to the positioning it would need to take to hammer in the spacers above my head. Surprisingly, my index finger gave out first. I did not even feel the “hot spot” coming on and by lunch time I had the deepest blister I had ever encountered develop and burst on my primary index finger. I took one look at it, got some medical tape and bandaged the heck out of it. The pain would not come until later that night. My shoulder? It had never felt better.
The work days were long, hot, and tedious. While I was out of the sun, I was in a house that was mostly boarded up and surrounded by woods. The benefit of a random breeze would not make its way to us. Working several hours a day in that heat was certainly a challenge. To be candid, on one day I went through six 32-ounce Nalgene bottles, or 1.5 gallons, of water and did not need to pee the entire day. I had purchased some $5 moisture wicking shirts from Wal-Mart and did not even realize how much I had been sweating until I tried to wipe my brow and found I had to ring out my shirt first.
My team worked diligently measuring and cutting spacers and sheet rock. I am not going to lie, there were times we did not see eye to eye and the heat added to some tension. But my team rocked it out. There was no one who lounged around. No one who was not intent on doing their best work. It was an amazing time to serve along side of them especially with the knowledge that we would never see a completed project and were just a small piece in the larger puzzle. Believe it or not, it is tough to work on a project that you will never see to completion and find an appropriate stopping point that you can look on and be satisfied. You always want to do more. When we wrapped up, all of the spacers had been moved and sheet rock and been fitted and put up in over half of the house. Not bad for a group that only had a limited idea of what we were doing when we arrived.
On our last day, we finally got to sit and talk with the reason we were working in the heat to begin with…Bertha Pinder.
Thank you so much for those who keep checking in. My stats show there are a lot people who continue to faithfully check back as well as new people stumbling across here everyday. I have been in a three month tornado of busyness that does not plan to let up soon.
But……I am promising to have at lease one new post by the end of this weekend. In the works, I have part 3 of my trip to Eleuthera coming up as well as a public thank you to those who helped make that possible. I have an update on my journey back through the Bible coming up. I am going to detail another crack at a blood drive, plans for a deer hunt this season after nearly killing 6 of them with my car this summer (true story). I will also provide a few movie reviews from the top 100.
So a lot of stuff in the works as well as some ways you can join me in my goals. Stay tuned I am having fun and hoping you will too.
Since my group was heading the furthest south out of the four groups, we were relegated to the van. Each day we would travel to and from the site in the van with our supplies and no seats. While we bounced along the uneven pavement on the floor or sitting on a cooler, we constantly got to look at the ironical First Aid kit in the van which read “Safety First.” I prayed irony never became tragedy. Luckily the Director, Abe McIntyre, is a great driver.
When we first pulled into the drive at Bertha Pinder’s house, we saw a newly built and framed house that still required windows (the house was boarded up) and siding. Once inside, we were greeted by the skeleton of the house. It was framed and had pipes for plumbing set in the foundation but it did not have any walls yet. We would spend the next four days filling the house with guts in the form of sheetrock.
As we prepared to start working, we went around the back of the house and saw what the newly constructed, four bedroom, house was hiding. Behind the house was another house about half the size of the one we were working in. It appeared to be scantily pieced together pieces of wood and if you saw this house in the United States you would assume it was some child’s old tree fort. I will tell you everything I learned about the house in another post since we did not learn about it until our last day when Bertha Pinder joined us for lunch. But, it is a pretty remarkable situation.
Our group anticipated being able to put up all of the sheetrock and install the tongue-n-groove ceiling. However, we quickly learned we would be doing a lot of back tracking. Whoever originally framed the house put spacers in between the wall studs at two-feet, four-feet and six-feet heights. Unfortunately, this left nothing for the sheetrock to attach to at the top of the wall. Our first task, take down every six-foot spacer in the entire house and move them up to eight-feet. Every single board was attached with four nails to the stud and we had to try to preserve the spacers and the studs so we could not simply knock or cut them out. Consider this job task “day 1-4…“
awl I am participating in the 
flowing back through my legs. I went for 2-miles alternating between a 6 mile jogging pace and a 3.2 mile walking pace. It took me 30 minutes so I will let you figure the breakdown of time spent running vs. walking. I have a long way to go though before the end of March.
might be interested in going too. I was really excited about our team this year and the energy surrounding the new coach. Plus I really wanted to see Eric Berry play live.
Unfortunately, any plans to make it back for any of the other remaining games on our schedule appear to have been stalled because of a rock slide that has closed I-40 (my direct route) for at least three months. Maybe Berry will stick around for his senior season.
